CVE-2018-14305 in Foxit
Summary
by MITRE
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations of Foxit Reader 9.0.1.5096. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the processing of PolyLine annotations. By manipulating a document's elements an attacker can cause a pointer to be reused after it has been freed. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code under the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-6265.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/12/2020
This vulnerability in Foxit Reader 9.0.1.5096 represents a critical heap-based buffer overflow condition that enables remote code execution through improper memory management during PolyLine annotation processing. The flaw stems from a classic use-after-free vulnerability where a pointer is accessed after being deallocated from memory, creating a predictable exploitation vector for malicious actors. The vulnerability exists within the document parsing engine that handles PDF annotations, specifically when processing PolyLine objects that define geometric shapes within the document structure. Attackers can craft malicious PDF documents containing specially constructed PolyLine annotations that trigger the vulnerable code path during document rendering or annotation processing. The security implications extend beyond simple code execution as this vulnerability operates at the application level within the context of the currently running Foxit Reader process, potentially allowing attackers to escalate privileges or access sensitive system resources depending on the execution environment. This type of vulnerability directly maps to CWE-416 which defines use-after-free conditions as a fundamental memory safety issue that can lead to arbitrary code execution and system compromise.
The exploitation mechanism relies on the attacker's ability to manipulate document elements to force memory corruption during normal document processing operations. When Foxit Reader encounters a malformed PolyLine annotation, the application's memory management routines fail to properly validate pointer states, leading to a situation where freed memory addresses are accessed again. This creates an opportunity for attackers to control the execution flow by overwriting critical memory structures or function pointers within the application's address space. The requirement for user interaction through visiting malicious web pages or opening malicious files aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 which involves social engineering to deliver payloads that exploit application vulnerabilities. The attack surface expands significantly given that Foxit Reader is commonly used for document viewing across enterprise environments where users may encounter malicious documents in email attachments, web downloads, or shared network resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond individual system compromise to potential enterprise-wide security breaches, particularly in environments where Foxit Reader is the default PDF viewer or where users frequently process documents from untrusted sources. Organizations using Foxit Reader in their document workflow face significant risk as attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access to systems through malicious documents that appear legitimate. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal privileges on the target system since it operates within the context of the existing application process, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users have elevated permissions or where the application runs with system-level privileges. Security teams must consider the broader implications of this vulnerability when assessing their incident response capabilities, as exploitation could lead to data exfiltration, lateral movement, or establishment of backdoors within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution flaw means that attackers can compromise systems without requiring physical access or local network presence, making it a particularly attractive target for automated exploitation campaigns. Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including application whitelisting, network-based filtering of PDF content, and user education to avoid opening suspicious documents. Patch management becomes critical as this vulnerability represents a persistent risk that can be exploited across multiple attack vectors without requiring complex exploitation techniques beyond crafting malicious PDF documents.